Tara O'Connor Counselling and Psychotherapy

01/03/2022

Hi everyone,

I am happy to announce I will be back seeing clients online and in person from Thursday the 10th of March in Scotia Clinic, Tralee, following my recent maternity leave.
I am looking forward to re engaging with some returning clients and fostering new client connections.
If you have any questions about counselling or would like to link in with a counsellor feel free to email or phone me for a chat and to see about making a first appointment.

Carl Rogers quote is particularly resonant for me with all that is happening in our world in the last week:
“When I look at the world I’m pessimistic, but when I look at people I am optimistic.”

There is always hope, even in the darkest of moments, darkest of days.
Even when we can not feel it’s warmth or see it’s glow.
Like the sun it is there ready to rise again.

03/03/2021

Did someone say empowering women, personal develop and free?? What an amazing course on offer by the Phoenix Women’s Centre in Tralee and since it is being offered via zoom and free it is accessible regardless of location or circumstance. Any women interested in personal development have a look as apparently it fills up very quick!

We're delighted to be offering this course again. Places filled up fast last time so please book your place asap to avoid disappointment.

18/02/2021

I have been very quiet on Facebook recently but am delighted to share the post and news below that I will now be offering my services in the Scotia Clinic, Tralee. Looking forward to contributing to the holistic care that Scotia provides Mary McCaffrey.

I am also still available for Killarney and online appointments.

WELCOME OUR NEW COUNSELLOR TARA O’CONNOR

Tara has worked as a Registered General Nurse since 2008 and continues to work part time in General Practice.
Tara is trained as an Humanistic Counsellor with Cork Counselling Services completing her Diploma in Counselling in 2018 and her Degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy in 2020 (validated by Coventry University). She now works part time as a therapist in Private Practice. �She attends regular Supervision and works within the principles embodied in the IACP Code of Ethics for Counsellors and Psychotherapists, of which she is a Pre-Accredited member. �She offers private, adult counselling sessions to clients over the age of 18.
Her aim is to provide a safe, confidential space that is warm and welcoming for clients to explore the issues that have brought them to counselling. Allowing the client to fulfil their human potential as a fully functioning person.
She is currently completing a Diploma in Loss and Grief Studies and additional training with the British Infertility Counselling Association.
Tara has a special interest in helping to debrief couples who feel traumatised after a pregnancy - related event.

10/10/2020

Today is World Mental Health Day 💚 , this year’s focus is Mental Health for All: Greater Investment, Greater Access. Everyone, everywhere. A scale up in investment in mental health supports is needed both locally and globally. This will be even more true in the coming months and years as the impact of the current pandemic lands.

The below WHO publication Doing What Matters in Times of Stress: An Illustrated Guide is a stress management guide for coping with adversity. It is a clear, informative and FREE support workbook to help people cope and build on their own inner resources. In these challenging times all of the activities in this workbook can help you to feel empowered and help you cope with stressors.
One of the chapters focuses on the importance of kindness with the following particularly relevant advice, ‘notice pain in yourself and others and respond with kindness’.
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240003927

An Illustrated Guide

07/10/2020

In honour of National Breastfeeding Week Anna and I had a chat about the challenges that can present themselves as a new mother or new parent and how difficult it can feel to reach out for the supports you may need to be able to feel joy, connection and presence in this new chapter of your life. Struggling in this new experience (or any new life event) is common and normal, when you are ready, talk about it, bring it out of the shadows of fear, shame, guilt (and all the other muddled emotions). Give your true experience and struggles a voice and, if you need to, work with someone to tap into your own inner resources, build your self-compassion and self-belief that will help you to grow into your new experience of being a parent.

02/10/2020

Kerry Mental Health and Well-being FEST will be running from the 10th-17th of October. A lot of different options and themes to attract all ages and people that are all.......FREE.

I am intrigued by the Forest bathing on offer by The Nature Hub and so happy to see the One Good Adult workshops being offered by JIGSAW.

A child that experiences a secure attachment from just one of their caregivers has the potential to grow up as an emotionally regulated, autonomous, resilient person. One of the focal points of therapy is to provide a secure base to an adult that may not have experienced it as a child. The aim is to build a client’s trust to allow them to see that relationships can be safe and enriching to their lives. They can shed strategies of interacting with others that came about for their own protection and survival helping them develop new positive relationships and heal their attachment wounds.

Eight days until the start of Kerry's Mental Health and Wellbeing Fest! Have you started planning your week? There are lots of events to choose from that are all FREE!!

Read about the launch of the Fest in Killarneytoday.com here:
https://www.killarneytoday.com/festival-focuses-on-mental-health-and-wellbeing/

Visit www.healthykerry.ie to view the full programme of events.

29/09/2020

When we look at the pandemic from a trauma perspective we can see that everyone’s unique way of reacting to it, such as sadness, fear, anger, suspicion, denial, avoidance, are normal responses and reactions to a very abnormal, ongoing and overwhelming experience. This article explains what trauma is and how the pandemic can be a traumatic experience. It also gives some empowering suggestions at the end of ways to look after yourself during this time.
I think Danielle saved the true gem for last:
‘normalize your struggles. Remember that you are not alone in this... Be kind to yourself (and others). Kindness and compassion can go a long way.’

https://www.google.ie/amp/s/www.psychologytoday.com/ie/blog/lifting-the-veil-trauma/202003/trauma-pandemic-proportions%3famp

Mental health consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic and tools for coping.

24/09/2020

Yes, yes and yes to the below post by Dr. Glenn Doyle. Your wounds and hurts are yours, they are subjective and there is no ‘right or wrong’ way to respond, there is no measurable timeframe for ‘getting over it’. Therapists offers a space where your painful experiences can be shared with another, emotions can be expressed, given a voice and not judged. It is also a space where you will be challenged in a supportive way if you do dismiss, minimize or invalidate your painful experiences. This can help you to honour your lived experience and pain, integrate it and heal.

20/09/2020

What is Humanistic Integrative Counselling?

As a humanistic therapist I have a positive view of humanity, I believe that people are inherently good and when given the appropriate supports can heal, change and grow into their full potential. I am not as interested in the labels someone has so much as the subjective experience of the person sitting with me.

I encourage self-exploration and building of self-awareness with my main focus being on creating a safe and supportive therapeutic relationship to enable real change to occur.
I aim to provide the space for my clients to explore options available to them and guide them into making their own decisions. I accompany them on this journey of exploration, making sense of their subjective world and finding ways to move forward.

I integrate a number of approaches into my work to best meet the specific needs of each individual client including Person Centred, Gestalt and Existential theory. While theory informs my practice my approach focuses on the therapeutic relationship and working creatively with my clients.

"Growth occurs when individuals confront problems, struggle to master them, and through that struggle develop new aspects of their skills, capacities, views about life" - Carl Rogers.

18/09/2020

Sooooo after a bit of a hiatus I am back on ‘the Book’. I am mainly on it to be able to create and circulate information on my newest venture into private client work. After a long, hard, joyful, fretful, beautiful, eventful, and every other ‘ful’ in between, journey of training and personal development I am ready to take my next step.
Here’s to hoping I can help clients find their definition of meaningful😊